Harder Than I Thought...

It's no small coincidence that the last time I posted here was days before I started my new job. After I left CONEXIS, I went right into the new job at MHBT. I would like to say I "hit the ground running" but it was more like I hit the ground from falling...then got up, then hit the ground again, then thought I'd walk, then picked up the pace a bit, the fell down again, rolled over a few times, got all muddy and dirty, got up again, tried to skip, tripped over my own feet and landed on the ground again, etc. etc. etc.

It's been about 4 months now, and I feel like I'm really just now starting to get settled and feel "normal". I had no idea transitioning would be this hard!! It's been worth the effort though - it's a great company and I get to work with great people. I am blessed. :)

So - a quick overview of what's gone on in the Mobley house since October. Other than my job change, there's not been too much with me (it's been hard enough just to keep my head above water!). All my pre-planning and organizing our meals (etc.) pretty much flew out the window! I'm going to get us back on track though - we're going to settle back into our routines with me settling back int my cooking on the weekends for the week, getting everything done ahead of time...well, that's the idea anyway (we'll see!).

Christmas feels like ages ago, but we had a good one. Our church had a great series through Advent, and we really took a good amount of time to celebrate what the season really is about, and why we celebrate it. The Sunday before Christmas, Mike was baptized at our church - a wonderful day, and one of the many reasons that I'm so proud of him that I could burst. I'm so thankful for the man that he has become, and thankful that he has allowed God to work in and through him.

Here are some Christmas pictures - first, some of our decorations...

Framed subway art (thank you Pinterest)

The mantle - this year, I was really into read and black. 

My hand-made stocking hangers - I made this last year and after the season, did NOT like the way they turned out. So this year I changed them a little and think they turned out much better!

Our house, lit up

The kids decorating their tree

Our front entry way

 We were able to go to Grapevine's "North Pole express" this year, which was a lot of fun! They have a ton of food and games to play, then a small play, then you get to take the train to the North Pole and back...Santa even made a surprise appearance! :)

Me and the kids. eating popcorn and drinking hot chocolate

Zoe and Daddy

The girls, being SO silly

Zoe and Santa!

Rylie and Santa!

Merry Christmas!

Here are some other random pictures from Christmas -

Zoe, Christmas Eve

Josh, Christmas Eve

Rylie, Christmas Eve

Josh, Zoe, Rylie, Cooper and Arden - all in their Christmas pajamas!

Granma and Zoe

Our cookies and milk for Santa

Christmas Morning - Santa ate the cookies and drank the milk!

Santa brought Rylie an American Girl Doll (how did he know?!?!)

Zoe got a La-La-Loopsy and "Secret of the Wings"

Josh was thrilled about his new Kindle!

Zoe, stocking fun

Rylie, stocking fun

Josh, stocking fun

Zoe with her new pajamas!

Rylie with her new backpack!

Josh with his new helicopter (Daddy picked it out, and he loved it!)

Mike, Josh, Dad, Chris

Zoe, me, Rylie, Mom (I was on hydrocodone and in so much pain from a random tooth ache...had to have a root canal and a crown a few days later!)

---- In other news ----

Mike is good - work is going well for him. He is taking on more and more responsibility at work, and is growing into a stronger man every day before my eyes.

Not only do I see my strong, full-of-character man growing at work, but at home and church too. We started teaching a class of school-age kids during Sunday school awhile back and at the beginning, he wasn't quite sure how to handle them (I've done childcare at church before, so while I usually watched little ones, it wasn't completely foreign to me). In a very short amount of time, I saw him relax right into the role - the kids love him, he loves them, and we're both privileged to have the opportunity to teach these kids and show them God's love.

And speaking of kids...

Josh - doing well - he has his first girlfriend. She lives across the street and we've known their family the whole nine years that we've lived here. She's a very sweet girl and they are adorable together. :)

Rylie - also doing well. She's a great learner and (most days) is a great student. Her teacher absolutely loves her, which makes for a great school year. She is blossoming into a beautiful young woman.

Zoe - she turns four TODAY (another post about that coming soon). She's our little unpredictable firecracker. She's full of energy, says the funniest things all the time, has no fear, and keeps us all on our toes. :)

So, for fear of making this post pages and pages and pages long, I'll leave it at that. I'll write another post about Zoe's birthday soon, and then hopefully will stay a little more on track going forward. :)